Forbidden Love
by Bookworm290
Summary: Follow Mossfire of ThunderClan as StarClan takes her on a journey of pain, knowledge, and unconditional love.
1. Prologue

Forbidden Love

"Tell me another one Molefur, please!" begged an eager apprentice.

"I've told plenty of stories." A grumpy old tom retorted.

"I know, but there's still time for one more! I've just started on your pelt."

"Oh, alright then. Keep your fur on." The tom paused, enjoying the attention, until an elderly ginger she-cat poked his side.

"Get a move on! At this rate, poor Mosspaw will be done before you start."

The tom snorted, but gave no reply. Instead, he started his story. "Once, when the Clans were still settling by the lake,-"

"Badgers attacked?" Apprentice Mosspaw interrupted.

"_No._" Came the indignant reply.

"Well, they did."

"Yes, but I just told that story. Why would I tell it again?"

The answer was written across Mosspaw's face as she quickly looked away.

Molefur snorted again, probably at the thought of being too old to remember what stories he told. "_Anyways_, when they were settling Tallstar appointed Onewhisker as his deputy minutes before dying. Don't interrupt Mosspaw."

The apprentice closed her mouth.

"Mudclaw, the original deputy, was not pleased in the slightest. He, among other cats, thought he was the rightful leader of WindClan. Gathering these cats, he launched an attack. A vicious battle was fought, but here in our camp, something wondrous was discovered. A love.

"Unfortunately, this love was between ThunderClan's Leafpool, and WindClan's Crowfeather."

"Forbidden love." Mosspaw breathed.

"Ah, but doubly so." Molefur went on, not noticing the interruption. "For Leafpool was a medicine cat."

Shock and dismay crossed Mosspaw's face as she settled down in the moss, her job long forgotten.

"As their love for each other grew, the more distant they felt from their Clanmates. They eventually left, Crowfeather with the firm belief that they could find a place to live together in peace. Alas, it was not to be. Leafpool missed her Clan too much, and they heard of the badger attack, so they returned. After the badgers had been driven out, the two cats decided it would be best to stay apart."

"That's so sad." Mosspaw murmured, her eyes bright with emotion.

"And also not the end. Leafpool soon discovered she was having kits. She was terrified, being a medicine cat, so the only cat she told was her sister, Squirrelflight. Squirrelflight loved her sister, probably more than her mate, Brambleclaw. And that was the reason why she offered to raise the kits as her own."

"Oh, StarClan..." Mosspaw whispered.

"The secret was safe-until the kits themselves found out. The single she-cat, Hollyleaf, couldn't bear to hold the weight of the secret and told all the Clans at a Gathering. By StarClan's will, she was killed that very night in a hunting accident. And after that, no cat held either of the sisters with as much respect or trust as they had before. Squirrelflight lost her mate, and Leafpool stepped down from her medicine cat position, letting her apprentice, and son, Jayfeather succeed her. Neither of those sisters had the happiest life, or the easiest, either."

"I can't believe that all that actually happened..." Mosspaw shook her as if to shake out the story. "I'd never be that stupid. Fall in love with a cat from another Clan? They all stink to the stars!"

Molefur glanced behind the apprentice as she spoke, and watched as a pretty cream tabby winced painfully at the words.

He blinked. "Creampelt, here to collect your daughter?"

"Uh, yes. Her mentor says she's done for now, but to let him know if you need anything, because she's far from done her punishment." Amusement glittered in her eyes as they flicked to Mosspaw, whose face was glum.

As the two similar-looking she-cats left the elder's den, Molefur listened to them talk.

"Lucky little furballs, Thistlepaw and Speckledpaw. They get to go hunting while I'm stuck here in camp."

"Well, it's your own fault for falling asleep in Rushstar's den."

"I was just exploring, and happened to get tired, and..."

"Of course. Well, at least Rushstar wasn't that mad."

"Oh, I'm more scared of Smokestrike."

At the mention of Mosspaw's mentor, Molefur gave a _mrrow_ of amusement. He quickly realized he was not alone in eavesdropping.

His littermate, Cherrywing, was behind him, not bothering to hide her amusement or pride for her son, Smokestrike. Being her only kit that had survived to be a warrior, Cherrywing had always been mothering him.

Now Smokestrike had a mate and kits of his own, and even though he was somewhat known for his sharp tongue, he was as soft as ferns when it came to Shrewleaf and their kits.

Molefur's eyes narrowed in thought. Creampelt loved her three kits just as much as any queen would – perhaps even more. But she was one of those queens that didn't tell who the father was, for whatever reason. Molefur had seen how other fathers acted, full of love for their family. So why wasn't exuberant Mosspaw's father like that?

* * *

**Allegiences(as of chapter 2/3):**

**ThunderClan:**

Leader: Rushstar - she-cat

Deputy: Nightclaw - she-cat

Medicine Cat: Leopardfire - she-cat(sister to Toadclaw)

Warriors: Smokestrike - tom(Shrewleaf's mate)

Redflame - she-cat(sister to Nightclaw)

Toadclaw - tom - _Bramblepaw's mentor_

Lightfoot - tom - _Stonepaw's mentor_

Shrewleaf - she-cat(mother of Hawkpaw, Oatpaw, and Stonepaw)

Creampelt - she-cat(mother of Mossfire, Speckledwing, and Thistlefur)

Sunnystreak - she-cat(mother of Dapplepaw and Bramblepaw)

Harvestnose - tom - _Dapplepaw's mentor_

Mossfire - she-cat - _Hawkpaw's mentor_

Speckledwing - she-cat - _Oatpaw's mentor_

Thistlefur - tom - _Ashpaw's mentor_

Apprentices: Ashpaw - she-cat(daughter of Rushstar)

Elders: Molefur - tom(brother of Cherrywing)

Cherrywing - she-cat(daughter of Poppyfrost)

Wildheart - tom - _old mentor to Creampelt_

**ShadowClan:**

Leader: Beechstar - tom

Deputy: Leafstorm - she-cat

Medicine Cat: Snowdapple - she-cat

Warriors: Blackfur - she-cat

Rainfeather - tom

Lilyflower - she-cat

Oneclaw - tom - _Crowpaw's mentor_

**WindClan:**

Leader: Larchstar - tom

Deputy: Bluetail - she-cat

Medicine Cat: Fernwhisker - she-cat

Warriors: Starlingflight - tom

Gorsebush - she-cat(sister to Starlingflight)

**RiverClan:**

Leader: Froststar - she-cat

Medicine Cat: Brackenfoot - tom

Warriors: Whitefur - she-cat

Mintclaw - tom

Mallowfur - tom

Hollybranch - she-cat

Emberstorm - she-cat(sister to Hollybranch and Mallowfur)


	2. Chapter 1

Forbidden Love Chapter One

Mossfire raced across the moor next to Speckledwing, adrenaline rushing through her veins. She couldn't wait – her first Gathering as a warrior!

Mossfire followed behind Thistlefur, jumping up on the fallen tree. She ran the last bit, eager to get to the clearing and rub in her warrior's name to somebody.

As Rushstar flicked her tail, giving the signal, Mossfire ran ahead, scenting the other Clan's as she burst into the clearing. Now closer, she could smell WindClan and RiverClan. Now she just had to find Graypaw and Starlingpaw.

Doing a quick scan and sniff of the clearing, she found that Graypaw hadn't seemed to come, and Starlingpaw was talking to some RiverClan warriors with a couple of his Clanmates.

Feeling dejected, Mossfire sat by a patch of ferns and watched as her sister and brother mingled. As outgoing as Mossfire seemed, it was difficult for her to talk to cats she didn't know. It was no problem in her Clan, but it was at Gatherings.

At her first Gathering, she'd gotten separated from Thistlefur, who'd come with her(Speckledwing'd had a bellyache) and ended up meeting three other cats, all newly apprenticed like her. Graypaw, a gray she-cat from RiverClan; Starlingpaw, a brown tabby tom from WindClan; and –

"Hey there Mosspaw." Mossfire heard a familiar voice behind her, but didn't respond. She was no 'paw anymore!

"Mosspaw." She felt a tail flick her shoulder. "Hello! Anybody in that giant fat head there? Or is it full of wind blowing off the moors – "

The voice stopped as Mossfire tackled the white-and-gray tom behind her. He let out purrs of amusement as he fought off his friend's weak attacks.

"Onepaw! Don't say things like that!"

The tom dropped his head, but Mossfire saw the glint in his eyes. "You're right, I'm sorry." He then lifted his head "It's an insult to the wind moors!" He purred again as Mossfire gave a friendly growl and butted his shoulder.

"So, Mosspaw, I haven't seen you for two moons! What'd you do this time?"

Mossfire sighed. In total, she'd been to three Gatherings in her life, this being the third. She was known for mischief. "Well, first I was caught sleeping in Rushstar's den." She glared at Onepaw, who was trying to hide his amusement by licking his chest. "Don't even comment on that."

"Wasn't going to."

"Good. Then, I don't know what happened. I ate before the elder's were fed. I forgot to fetch moss. Thing was, Rushstar was in a foul mood, and decided I could use a break from seeing the other Clans." She thought for a second then added on, "Oh yeah, don't call me Mosspaw. I won't respond starting now."

Onepaw shoved her shoulder. "Come on, tell me! What's your name!"

Mossfire's eyes lit up. "Okay, I've just been waiting to rub this in! I have a warrior's name! It's Mossfire. What do you think Onepaw?"

He nodded. "Pretty cool. But, you're going to have to stop calling me Onepaw."

"That's great! What's your name?"

"I think we can wait to see what Beechstar says."

"Um, no. I want to know now!"

"Okay fine. My name's Oneclaw." Silence.

Then, Mossfire slowly said. "That's actually pretty good. I was afraid it would be something like Onefoot, or Oneleg, or...Onetail." Then she snorted. "Oh, who am I kidding! That name's hilarious!"

As Mossfire practically collapsed to the ground, Oneclaw sighed. This was exactly why he had wanted to put off telling his name. Oh well.

Mossfire quieted down as Beechstar called a start to the meeting. He let Larchstar, the WindClan leader start. He nodded and stepped forward on his branch.

"The Clan has good hunting, and I am pleased to announce the birth of a new litter and two new warriors: Starlingflight and Gorsebush!"

Mossfire looked to Oneclaw as they called out their friend's and his sister's names with the other cats. It looked like they weren't the only ones out of their little group to have grown up. Oneclaw looked as happy as she did for their friend.

They looked back up to the Great Oak as Rushstar stepped forward. "We also have new warriors. Speckledwing, Thistlefur, and Mossfire." Mossfire's fur puffed up a little as the cats called her and her littermate's names. She was well known for not coming to Gathering's often, and her littermates were quite popular with the other Clan's. There was a lot of calling, but when it died down, Rushstar continued, some pride in her voice. "Also, we have a new apprentice, Ashpaw. She is most excited to start her training with her mentor, Thistlefur. That is all." She was bound to have pride for her own daughter.

Beechstar went next. "Our Clan is prospering, with a full nursery and a new warrior, Oneclaw." Mossfire poked her friend's side with her paw, trying to keep her amusement out of her voice as she called his name. He just gave her a small glare and said nothing.

Lastly, Froststar from RiverClan stepped forward. "Our Clan also has plenty of fresh kill and three new warriors." She paused to take a breath in. Mossfire and OneClaw looked to each other confusedly. They must be talking about Graypaw, but there were four in her litter. "Mallowfur, Hollybranch, and Emberstorm. Unfortunately, their sister Graypelt was killed by a fox two days after her warrior ceremony."

The cat's called out the RiverClan warrior's names, especially Graypelt's, knowing the loss of young cats was hard to take. Mossfire called as loud as she could, knowing with her whole being that Graypelt was with them. Starlingflight, Oneclaw, and her. It was all different know. They were warriors, and one of them was gone forever.

Change had been imminent, Mossfire had known that. She just didn't know it would come around so quickly.

* * *

**Well, thanks to Amber342 for the reveiw! **

**Here's chapter one. A little short in my opinion, but I'm strange like that. If cats start confusing people, just tell me, 'cause then I'll make up a list or something. Hopefully it won't be that confusing.**


	3. Chapter 2

Forbidden Love

Mossfire ran through the unfamiliar forest, confused but content. She was chasing a magpie through the trees, knowing that it was a fruitless search, but she wanted to try anyways.

Chasing after the bird, she looked up occasionally, mostly keeping her eyes on the ground. She didn't want to trip. She looked up again and frowned. The magpie was gone. Mossfire stopped running abruptly and scented the air, her mouth open.

All of a sudden, she heard her name. "Mossfire!" Mossfire turned towards the noise. "Mossfire, where are you? Mossfire!"

"Who is that? Who are you?" Mossfire called out to the voice. She turned rapidly, spotting a gray tail whisk behind a tree.

"Toadclaw!"

Mossfire halted with confusion. "What?"

* * *

"Toadclaw, you lazy furball! You're supposed to be leading the dawn patrol." Mossfire blinked her eyes slowly, leaving her dream bit by bit. Redflame was waking up Toadclaw - unsuccessfully. She had succeeded in waking up everybody _but _Toadclaw.

Mossfire sat up and stretched out her legs. "Don't worry, Redflame. I'll go instead. He's just tired from the Gathering last night."

Redflame looked at her with concern. "But you went too. Aren't you tired?"

"Oh, no, I couldn't sleep another wink." Mossfire trotted out of the den. "Coming?"

Mossfire and Redflame joined Speckledwing, Harvestnose, his apprentice Dapplepaw, and Lightfoot. They decided to head towards the ShadowClan border, since Nightclaw had set up a border patrol for the WindClan side to be sent out soon.

Mossfire padded along next to her sister, not really paying attention as Harvestnose quizzed Dapplepaw. A couple of moons had passed since she had been made a warrior. Ashpaw was almost done her training, Thistlefur being 'the best mentor ever', as she said. Sunnystreak's kits had left the nursery, eagerly beginning their apprenticeship (although it seemed at the moment, Dapplepaw was having some trouble with an old fox scent). ThunderClan was bustling and busy, but Mossfire's mind always strayed over the ShadowClan border nowadays, ever since the Gathering before last.

In contrast to her apprenticeship, Mossfire was attending almost all the Gatherings now. She had only missed one since being made a warrior, and that was when a small bout of greencough went through the camp. She'd still been feeling a little weak, and was ordered by Rushstar and Leopardfire to remain in camp till she got her strength back.

The Gathering after that, she ran almost the whole way to the island, eager to see her friends, until she remembered that it was different now. Graypelt was dead, and Starlingflight was seeming to ignore her. Oneclaw was different though.

Hoping Oneclaw was there, Mossfire had run across the fallen tree, happy to see that ShadowClan was already there. She walked around the clearing until she heard a hiss in the trees. Turning, she saw Oneclaw crouched under a bramble bush.

Looking around to see if anyone was watching her, she quickly scrabbled under the brambles, feeling her fur catch on some. When she reached the other side, she found herself in a plant-made cave of sorts. There were a circle of trees, the brambles along ne side, and lots of vines and bushes.

"This place is amazing," Mossfire breathed, gazing at the scene before her.

"Glad you like it." Mossfire looked back to Oneclaw. He had a look of happiness and peace on his face.

"How'd you find this? And why'd you want to show me? What about – _mmm-mph_"! Oneclaw gave a purr of amusement as he covered Mossfire's mouth with his tail. When she stopped struggling, he took his tail away and answered her.

"I found it at the last Gathering, looking for my apprentice Crowpaw. She likes running around a lot. And I wanted to show you because your one of my closest friends."

"No way! You have an apprentice! That's great! Wait, what? You think I'm a close friend?"

"Of course! I've known you for a long time, and don't you think we're friends?"

"No, no, of course I do. I just thought you would've showed it to someone from ShadowClan."

Oneclaw looked down at his paws. "Well, I thought it...I thought it could be our place, you know? I mean, yeah, cats talk with those that are in other Clans, but not a lot are friends. It's kind of an oddity, and I don't want to lose my friendship with you just because others don't approve." He looked up at her. "You're okay with that right? I mean, you agree?"

Mossfire stood, slightly shocked by his speech. Normally, she would've made a joke, but this felt serious. Oneclaw was being sincere. "Of course." She purred, butting her head against his. "This'll be our place."

Soon after that, the Gathering started and they slipped out of 'their place' at different times and spots so no one would find it. When Mossfire got back to camp that night, she couldn't help feel that Oneclaw had wanted to say more.

"Whoa, Mossfire, stop!" Mossfire broke out of her reverie startled to see she had almost crossed the border. Speckledwing came up behind her, panting.

"Mossfire, what are you doing? You almost crossed the border." Mossfire looked down and gasped. She was a tail-length away from said border. It would've been really bad if she had crossed it, just causing problems in ThunderClan and ShadowClan that she wouldn't want to stir up.

Just then, four cats came out of the trees on the ShadowClan side. Mossfire only recognized two: Leafstorm, the deputy, and Oneclaw.

"What do you think you're doing? Can't ThunderClan control its young warriors, or should you still be apprentices with mentors to watch over you?" Leafstorm barked at the two sisters. Mossfire saw behing Leafstorm that Oneclaw's eyes were boring into hers.

Speckledwing fought back. "We weren't doing anything! We're on the dawn patrol, just as you are!"

"Oh, I'm sure. Is ThunderClan so short of warriors that they can only send out two cats for each patrol?"

"No, we're not." A new voice joined the conversation. Mossfire looked away from Oneclaw's gaze to see Redflame with Harvestnose and Dapplepaw behind her. "We're not touching your borders, so I suggest you don't cross ours. Goodbye. Come on, you two."

Mossfire looked back at Oneclaw to see him mouth the words "Stay behind.". She nodded slightly, then turned and left with her patrol, letting everyone fall ahead of her. Silently, she turned around and doubled back.

Oneclaw was right where he'd been standing before. "Hey there Mossfire. How are you doing?"

"Um, fine. What about you and Crowpaw?" Mossfire asked, a little confused.

"Oh, pretty good. Crowpaw loves hunting, but she and her sister ate a bad peice of fresh-kill yesterday, so they're resting in."

"Ah, I see." They stayed in silence for a few more moments until Mossfire could take it no longer. "Oneclaw?"

He looked at her. "Yes?"

"Um, was there a reason you wanted to meet me, or...?"

"Oh, uh..." Oneclaw hesitated, looking torn. "No. No, uh, no. You should go. You'll be missed."

"Okay. Well, I'll see you Oneclaw."

"Yes, see you." Mossfire nodded and padded silently away, not having to turn to know that Oneclaw didn't leave until he couldn't see her anymore.


	4. Chapter 3

Forbidden Love

Mossfire trailed slowly behind Sunnystreak, her tail dragging on the ground as they trotted across WindClan's territory. Sunnystreak glanced back, noticing Mossfire and slowing down to walk beside her.

"Hey, is everything okay Mossfire?"

Mossfire looked up, caught off guard by her company. "Uh, no. I mean, yes! I mean, no." She sighed. This Gathering that they were travelling home from had been horrible. Not that anybody else knew it.

Sunnystreak's eyes gleamed. "Tom trouble?" she guessed. Mossfire immediately stumbled: over her words and her paws.

"What? No! Of course not! What do you mean?"

"Oh come, on. You're so tom-struck! I've seen you and Harvestnose. You two are a good match. Just tell him how you feel. I'm sure he feels the same way."

Mossfire scrambled for an answer, and decided to give the safest one. "Well, I'm just nervous. I've never felt this way before." Lies. Truthful, but lies woven into the truth.

The rest of the way back to camp, Sunnystreak gave encouragement to Mossfire, totally clueless to her real problem. As Mossfire settled into her nest that night, she sighed. Tom trouble, yes. Never-before experienced feeling, yes. Harvestnose the heart of the problem, no.

Oneclaw? Yes.

Mossfire sighed again. Everyone was long asleep by this time, but she couldn't sleep. Her mind wandered over to the memory that she wanted to forget – the Gathering that night.

As she had for the past few moons, she went to 'their place' to meet. Settling down in the long, soft grass, she waited for ShadowClan to arrive. ThunderClan had gotten to the island first.

A few minutes later, Oneclaw slipped into the tiny clearing and settled down beside her. "So, what's new with you?" he asked.

She turned to him, her eyes bright with excitement. "Well, you know my mentor, Smokestrike, right?" He nodded. "When I was still his apprentice, his mate had three kits. They became apprentices today. And one of them is mine!"

Oneclaw started to purr, rubbing his muzzle against hers. "That's terrific! Is your apprentice here tonight?"

"Yes," Mossfire started to purr as well. "I told Hawkpaw he should wander around with his littermates and meet others his age. Oatpaw, his sister, looked terrified by that idea, but between Hawkpaw and Stonepaw, I think they'll succeed. Also, Oatpaw is Speckledwing's apprentice! Isn't that great?"

"Of course it is. So, are you two having fun with apprentices?"

"Yeah..."

Mossfire, in her half-dream state, skipped ahead in time in her memory. RiverClan had arrived, but it seemed that WindClan was taking it's time to get to the Gathering. If they didn't get there soon, the moonlight would be all gone.

Oneclaw came back into their spot after checking the moon's position. "Hey, I heard Nightclaw tell Leafstorm that she thinks a clouds coming up."

"Oh. That's not good." After a couple of seconds of silence, Mossfire opened her jaws to ask if Oneclaw thought the Gathering should go on without WindClan, but he beat her to it.

"Mossfire?" he blurted out.

"Um, yes Oneclaw?"

Oneclaw took in a deep breath. "If I asked you to meet me somewhere else, sometime not during a Gathering, what would you say?" He looked down, as if not wanting Mossfire's reaction.

"W-what?" Mossfire coughed out. "What are you trying to say?"

Oneclaw looked up, a fire in his eyes that Mossfire had never seen before. "I'm saying that it's not enough to be just friends with you. I don't want to just know things about you that you tell me, I want to know things that I would only know if I lived alongside you. I think...I think I love you."

Mossfire's breathing hitched, her heart beat unsteadily. "Oh StarClan. I..."

Right at that moment, Larchstar, the WindClan leader called the Gathering to a start. Mossfire scrambled out of the clearing as fast as she could. She didn't know what to say.

And now, here she was, in her den, her thoughts flying around faster that a hyper apprentice. As Mossfire slowly fell into sleep, her mind took her memories and changed them.

There she was, standing in the tiny clearing as Oneclaw professed his deepest feelings to her.

"Oh StarClan..." Mossfire flinched as the world changed around her. She was a lot smaller, sitting in the elder's den as Molefur told her the story of Leafpool and Crowfeather. She had said the same thing when she heard their story all those moons ago. She had also sworn that she would never be stupid enough to fall in love with a cat from another Clan. Now she knew it was a lie.

A few nights later, Mossfire fell asleep quickly, the sleepless nights and long days finally catching up with her. She was standing in the clearing where Twolegs set up little green pelts during greenleaf. Confused, she looked around, wondering why she was there. When Oneclaw stepped out of the trees, she started to have trouble breathing. She hadn't seen him since the night of the Gathering.

As Oneclaw slowly walked towards her, she found herself walking towards him too. When the met in the middle, he licked her face gently and whispered, "Follow me."

Unwillingly, Mossfire found her paws following Oneclaw's. They travelled away from the lake, walking for what felt like forever. Mossfire looked to the sky, expecting it to be dawn by now, but it wasn't.

Finally, Oneclaw stopped. Looking around, Mossfire saw a hollow tree. Oneclaw looked at the tree, then her. "When I was younger, I found this tree. Meet me here tomorrow night. Please, I'd give anything."

For the first time that whole night, Mossfire found herself able to talk. "Why? Why, tell me!"

"Well, because Nightclaw told me to, I guess. Calm down, I'll see for hunting later."

Mossfire blinked open her eyes to see Thistlefur looking at her a little confusedly. "Oh, right. Okay, sorry. See you later."

As Thistlefur left, Mossfire shook her head to try and rid herself of the dream.

Later, just as he'd promised, Thistlefur took his sisters hunting. They all brought their apprentices along, and decided to let Ashpaw help Oatpaw and Hawkpaw with their hunter's crouch. The three littermates wandered away from the young cats, hoping to let them relax without mentors around to critique them.

Mossfire chatted with Speckledwing and Thistlefur, relaxing only slightly, but still the most at peace she'd been in days. As they wandered near ShadowClan's border, Mossfire couldn't help but remember her dream.

Glancing around, Mossfire found herself unreasonably paranoid and very nervous. Speckledwing looked at Mossfire curiously.

"Hey Mossfire, you doing okay? You don't look too good."

"Huh? Oh, yes. I'm fine. Just feeling a little tired."

"Well, maybe we should head back to camp. We've certainly hunted enough." Thistlefur said with concern in his eyes.

He was right. On the way back to camp, all six cats had their mouths full of prey. Nightclaw looked up as they dropped it all on the fresh-kill pile. She then looked towards the entrance. "Creampelt! Wait! Instead of a hunting patrol, do a border patrol on the WindClan side. I think your kits covered the hunting for a while."

A slight purr of amusement went around the camp, and Mossfire's pelt flushed with embarrassment. Out of the three mice and squirrel she had carried in, only two of the mice had been hers. She had just been helping Speckledwing carry in her catch. As Nightclaw told their group to take the rest of the day off, she could only help but think that she didn't deserve it.

Thistlefur went over and flicked Mossfire's shoulder with his tail. "Hey Mossfire, maybe you should rest for a bit. Take a nap. I might even join you. I feel like my paws will fall off."

Mossfire's mind raced. _If I get sleep in now, I'll be able to go to Oneclaw's tree and not be tired tomorrow. _Looking into Thistlefur's face, she nodded, trying to sound playful.

"Yeah, and maybe if you'd actually hunted like the rest of us, they would've fallen off!" She let Thistlefur's paw land on her side, then licked him affectionately. "I think I'll take you up on your nap idea. I'll see you."

Mossfire felt like she was flying, racing through the mix of trees next to the stream. It was pitch black outside with almost no moon. Passing a large rock, she was surprised to recognize it from her dream. A few minutes after, she pulled to an abrupt stop. What was she doing? She'd dreamed of Oneclaw, and now she expected that dream to come true?

Looking around, she then realized that she had stopped right next to the tree. Taking into account that her sides were heaving from running, she decided to rest inside until she could get back to camp. Going inside, she got the shock of her life.

"O-oneclaw!" Mossfire said, barely spitting it out. "What are you doing here?"

Oneclaw turned his head her way, then stood up. He looked almost as shocked as she did. "I...that dream..."

"Wasn't just a dream, I guess." Mossfire finished for him. Oneclaw suddenly broke free of his thoughts, leaping forward to rub his muzzle against hers. Taken aback by the action, without thinking, Mossfire did the same.

After a few seconds, Oneclaw took a step back. "I thought I that dream was just...I didn't realize that you...I..." He trailed off, looking desperately to Mossfire as if she could explain the confusing feelings he was having.

Mossfire felt even more confused than he did. But she knew she had to stop with the half-truths. "Oneclaw, about that night..."

Oneclaw looked down, but not before Mossfire saw the pain and disappointment he had felt that night. She felt pain inside her, like a thorn was twisting inside her. She was the one responsible for putting that look on Oneclaw's face. For causing him that pain.

"I...I think I love you! Oneclaw, how...how can I..." Mossfire's voice faded as it filled with everything she was feeling: worry, pain, fear, and self-loathing for breaking the promise she had made to herself long ago.

Mossfire blinked her eyes open from sleep. The first coherent thought she had was, _I slept the whole night, and didn't wake up or roll over once. _The second thought was, _I love Oneclaw._ And the third, _How can something that is so wonderful be wrong?_

Mossfire's head was resting on Oneclaw's shoulder. After he had managed to cheer her up, they sat down and shared tongues for what felt like forever. Mossfire'd had a nagging voice in her head, reminding her that she needed to get back to camp. Oneclaw and she had even mentioned it a couple of times. But, in the end, they had both stayed in the tree and fell asleep there.

Now, looking outside the tree, it was past dawn, but nowhere near sun-high yet, thankfully. Mossfire thanked StarClan silently that she had been looking so sick yesterday; otherwise, Nightclaw would've placed her on the dawn patrol for sure. If she left now and hunted on the way back, maybe she could-

"Good morning." Oneclaw's voice interrupted Mossfire's racing thoughts. She lifted her head off of him and let him stretch out his legs. After doing so, he sat back down and began to lick Mossfire's flank with long, soothing strokes. She closed her eyes to slits, purring uncontrollably.

She was barely able to say, "You know we have to go." The licking stopped. Oneclaw sighed. Mossfire opened her eyes to see that he was looking at her sadly.

"I was hoping to distract you."

"Well, you almost succeeded." Mossfire said half-heartedly. She gave up and sighed. "I'm sorry, but our Clanmates...if we don't head back now, they'll know we've been gone longer than we should have."

A short while later, the two of them were running through the trees at full speed. Mossfire had planned on heading back alone, to hunt better and leave behind Oneclaw's scent, but he had persuaded her into going back together. She was like soft ferns when it came to Oneclaw. Just like she'd heard Cherrywing say more than once about Smokestrike when he was with Shrewleaf.

When they got to the edge of their territories, Mossfire pulled up. "Oneclaw, we should go our separate ways now." He stopped beside her. Mossfire thought it looked like there was fear in his eyes.

"When can I see you again?" He asked desperately. "I can't wait for the Gathering."

Mossfire thought quickly, going through options in her mind. "Let's meet here, two nights from now. I think the tree is too far to go to often." She stepped forward, making their muzzles touch briefly, then was gone.

And so it went. Mossfire and Oneclaw met up every couple of nights, changing places almost every time. They went back to the tree occasionally, but they didn't want their Clanmates to be more suspicious than they seemed to be already. The two thought they were doing quite well to keep away disbelieving thoughts from those they were close to.

Mossfire felt like she was walking on air, like her life was perfect. It couldn't get any better, couldn't get worse. But then it did. Better or worse, she wasn't sure which one it was.

She was having kits.

* * *

**Hello people that read this story! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a...month-ish-ey? Well, I know you guys prob. don't care, but it was 'cause my computer is kind of on the fritz and doesn't like me right now...but, anyways, I'm not sure if you guys have seen it or not, but there is an Allegiences list in the Prologue...and if you have seen it, I just added some cats to fill in the blanks. Not very many, but I did. **

**Well, thank you for reading, please tell me what you think, and I'll keep on trying my stupid computer to get to work! **


	5. Chapter 4

Forbidden Love

It was night-time, and Mossfire was making her way to the hollow tree. She had just found out that morning that she was having kits.

She slowed down slightly, looking down at her stomach in wonder. Tiny little bodies were growing in there. Kits that would grow to be strong, loyal warriors. Mossfire's tail dragged on the ground. _Loyal._ Loyal to who? These kits would be half-Clan.

"Mossfire." Oneclaw came running out of the tree and licked her face. Mossfire felt her spirits lift slightly. As she purred and licked Oneclaw's ear, they walked back to the tree and sat inside.

After a couple of minutes of just enjoying each others company, Mossfire sighed. She had to tell him. They had to know what they were going to do before other cats noticed that she was a future queen. Oneclaw pulled back from her fur and gave her a calculating look.

"How long have you known?" They asked at the same time. Then they both let out purrs of amusement.

"About a day."

"About since you got here. I can't believe that we're going to have kits!" Oneclaw exclaimed, excited. Mossfire's eyes crinkled in amusement, but then she looked at the ground.

"Oneclaw, I'm _having kits._ And if it isn't obvious, they're yours." She looked up at him. "What are we going to do?" Oneclaw didn't say anything for a minute and just stared into her eyes.

Finally, he said, "I don't know. But, Mossfire, whatever happens, it'll be okay. We're going to have great kits. And maybe we can change Clans to be together, like a family." He noted the look that Mossfire gave him. "Okay, last option. And, second last option, if we need to," He took a deep breath in before continuing. "We won't acknowledge to the kits that they're connected to me in any way."

Mossfire thought of her own lack of knowledge concerning her own father. "Maybe _that _should be the last option."

Oneclaw licked her ear. "Whatever it takes, I'll do it. For you and for our kits."

l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l

Mossfire spent the next few days worrying herself into exhaustion. She never stopped moving, taking barely any time to sleep or eat. She always volunteered for patrols was continuously taking out Hawkpaw, was the first one up, and the last to go to sleep. One evening, she was waiting for cats to wander off to their dens so she could sneak off to the hollow tree, she realized that the other cats weren't moving. Mossfire remembered with a start that today was the day that Ashpaw was to receive her warrior name. She got up from where she'd been sitting by the fresh-kill pile and went and settled next to her mother.

Creampelt turned to her, her eyes filled with pride. "Aren't you excited?"

Mossfire felt amusement bubbling up inside her. "Creampelt, it's not your apprentice!"

"No, but it's my sons'. I'm happy for both of them." They both turned towards Highrock as Rushstar yowled. Mossfire felt a purr coming on as she saw Rushstar's face. If Creampelt was proud, Rushstar was ecstatic. It was her daughter's ceremony, so she did have a better excuse than Creampelt, but Mossfire still thought the two queens looked hilarious. Her spirits dampened a bit when she wondered if she would be like that with her kits, or if they would even get a chance like Ashpaw. She shook her thoughts out of her head as Rushstar jumped down from the rock to start the ceremony.

Rushstar turned to Thistlefur. "Thistlefur, are you satisfied that this apprentice is ready to become a warrior of ThunderClan?"

Thistlefur nodded. "Yes."

Rushstar then turned her gaze to StarClan above. "I, Rushstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." Turning to her daughter, Rushstar continued, "Ashpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Mossfire felt a slight pang in her chest at the words that had been used for generations. Ashpaw shivered slightly as she said, "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Ashpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Ashfeather. StarClan honours you courage and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full member of ThunderClan."

Rushstar stepped forward and rested her muzzle on Ashfeather's head. She licked Rushstar's shoulder as tradition, but then buried her face into her mother's side as Rushstar covered her head in licks. Mossfire joined in heartily as the Clan called out Ashfeather's name.

After the ceremony, Mossfire suddenly felt very tired, but she couldn't miss meeting with Oneclaw. It was like when Lightfoot had sprained one of his back legs and had taken herbs for almost two moons. Afterwards, he went through withdrawal. His body felt like he needed the herbs. It was like that with her and Oneclaw. She needed him, and if she didn't have him, she'd be lost, in withdrawal.

As Mossfire headed towards the entrance, she was stopped by a call.

"Mossfire! Come to my den for a minute!" It was Leopardfire. Mossfire, confused joined the medicine cat in her den, settling down on some loose moss.

"Yes Leopardfire? Is something wrong? Or...or did you want me to go herb finding with you? I...uh..." Mossfire was lost, her brain muddled by all her thoughts on Oneclaw, the kits, her loyalty, and most recently, the two sisters Leafpool and Squirrelflight. Mossfire felt the world tip as her thoughts threatened to take over her mind. Leopardfire brought her back to reality.

"Now, Mossfire, I'm sure that you don't want anyone to know yet, and it's great that you're so fit, but it wouldn't be very good for the kits if you worked yourself to exhaustion." Mossfire stared blankly for a few seconds, then gasped.

"StarClan! How did you know?"

Leopardfire's eyes crinkled with amusement. "I'm pretty observant. I mean, it's not obvious yet, but it looks a little like you've been sneaking food off the fresh-kill pile. And, I know you haven't, since I've had to force you to eat twice in the past couple of days."

Mossfire felt breathless. "...oh. Um, you won't tell..."

"No, I respect you're privacy. But, as a fair warning, it won't matter how quiet I am soon. Also, I think you should at least tell Harvestnose, don't you think?"

"Uh...yeah...he's not..."

"Oh, don't worry, he'll be a wonderful father to the kits. You don't have to worry about a thing."

"...right. I should probably go..."

Leopardfire nodded. "Yes, you need your rest. Would you like a poppy seed?"

That was the last thing Mossfire needed. "No thank you." She politely declined. Mossfire walked out of the den, keeping that pace as she passed through the entrance, where, of all cats, Harvestnose was guarding the entrance.

"Hey there Mossfire. Going out for a late nighthunt?" Mossfire analyzed Harvestnose. How could she be so blind? Sunnystreak, Leopardfire, even her littermates had been hinting about Harvestnose. He liked her, but she was too far gone. If she was Harvestnose's mate, it wouldn't be fair to him, and Mossfire wasn't even sure if she'd be able to live. She'd be in withdrawal.

l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l

At the edge of ThunderClan's and ShadowClan's territories, Mossfire stopped to rest. Leopardfire was right. The kits were definitely coming along.

Mossfire's sides were still heaving a few minutes later when she struggled off the ground and started up a slow jog. She was tired, but she couldn't miss the chance to see Oneclaw. _Withdrawal._

When she got to the tree, tired once again, Mossfire went inside and got settled, trying to get her breathe back. After a couple of minutes she heard a faint rustling outside. Struggling up again, she went out to greet Oneclaw and almost fainted.

Oneclaw was there, but something was different, a look in his eyes that she'd never seen before, like they had hardened. That shocked her, but only slightly. What shocked her was that behind her mate, was her brother.

"Thistlefur...what are you doing here?" If Oneclaw's eyes looked like they had hardened, Thistlefur's eyes looked sharper than thorns.

"I think I should be asking you that. Why are you here, with that ShadowClan warrior?"

"You followed me, didn't you? Thistlefur-"

"I heard your conversation with Leopardfire. But they're not Harvestnose's kits are they? They're this tom's. How could you, Mossfire?"

"You don't under – were you eavesdropping?"

"I've been worried about you-"

"Not that you look it."

"-and I was wondering what Leopardfire wanted."

Mossfire was readying a retort when a new voice joined the conversation.

"It's just as well Mossfire." Oneclaw looked up from the ground. "This has gone on for too long, and it's not going to happen anymore."

Mossfire felt a wash of heat roll over her body, then the tip of her tail froze, the cold spreading throughout her body to her nose. "What d-do you mean?"

Oneclaw glared at her, his jaw tightened "I mean I don't love you. I mean that I don't like breaking the warrior code, and I'm choosing to be a _loyal_ warrior."

"Y-you...you..." Mossfire couldn't think straight. Her whole world was walking away.

Oneclaw turned his head back. "Oh, about the kits. I guess we'll be going with the last option." He started to walk again, and Mossfire could swear that she heard him whisper, "Goodbye, Mossfire."

l-l-l-l-l-l-l

As Mossfire settled into her nest that night, her body felt numbly cold. She noted that Thistlefur was making a nest further away from his two sister's nests, more near Ashfeather's. Mossfire lay down, closed her eyes, and waited for sleep to take her, but it didn't come. Eventually, her body just shut down, slipping her into sleep and the dark nothingness of no dreams.

I;i;i;i;i;i;i;i;i;i

The next time Mossfire opened her eyes, she didn't know where she was.

She was lying at the top of a cliff next to a sparkling brook. The brook fell down the rocks in a brilliant, churning waterfall.

Looking to her side, she was startled to see two she-cats walking towards her. One was a dark ginger with green eyes, while the other was a lean, light brown tabby with amber eyes. While looking nothing alike, Mossfire could see a similarity in their eyes, like they had seen something sad and felt great sympathy for it.

The cats stopped in front of Mossfire as she stood up. Then the tabby stepped forward.

"Greetings Mossfire, and welcome to StarClan. I am Leafpool, and this is my sister, Squirrel-"

"flight." Mossfire finished for her, almost whispering. She couldn't believe that she was meeting the two cats she had thought about for moons. Then she stopped.

"Wait, you said I was in StarClan. Am I dead?"

Leafpool shook her head. "No Mossfire." She said with some amusement. "No. But if you still think that, then come with us."

And off they went. Down the rocks, across the brook, through the trees, and then they were there. ThunderClan camp. They walked past a clueless Nightclaw and into the warriors den.

"Do you believe us now?" Squirrelflight asked. Mossfire nodded silently, in shock from seeing herself sleeping there, nestled next to Speckledwing.

"Come along."Leafpool murmured.

The three she-cats settled on some rocks where (Mossfire had heard from Molefur) somecat had been killed by a snake. Not actually being awake, Mossfire felt pretty safe.

Squirrelflight started. "Do you know why we've come?"

Mossfire thought of the only connection and gulped. "Oneclaw?" she asked hesitantly.

Leafpool nodded. "We're here to show you that you're not the only cat around the lake that feels the way you do."

"Or, at least, did, but is still alive." Squirrelflight added.

"We're going to show you what StarClan has seen while watching over the Clans."

Before Mossfire could reply, her surroundings changed. She found herself at a Gathering.

Looking around, she shockingly recognized Cherrywing. She was in the past.

It must not have been too long ago, as Cherrywing looked like a new elder, and her and Molefur were some of the oldest cats around the lake now.

Mossfire then heard Leafpool's voice in her ear. "Turn around." Obeying Leafpool, she turned then stopped in shock. _Creampelt_. She looked like a new warrior, not straying far from her old mentor, Wildheart's side.

Wildheart was talking to two RiverClan warriors, ones that Mossfire recognized but couldn't name.

Almost as soon as she thought this, Mossfire heard Squirrelflight's voice.

"Whitefur and Mintstreak." Whitefur was probably around Redflame and Nightclaw's age, while Mintstreak more around Creampelt's. And even though both the RiverClan warriors were talking, Wildheart was doing most of it on the ThunderClan end. Mintstreak stopped occasionally and glanced at Creampelt. The pretty she-cat wasn't talking at all, but directing her gaze at the ground until she'd briefly look up, catch Mintstreak's eye, then flick back to looking at the ground.

A small pit of foreboding grew in Mossfire's stomach. She opened her mouth to ask Leafpool and Squirrelflight why they were watching her mother when the scene changed.

Mossfire found herself running next to the new warrior Creampelt and a slightly younger Leopardfire. Mossfire noted with interest that they passed the barn where a couple of kittypets lived.

A few minutes later, Mossfire followed her Clanmates into the RiverClan camp. They all entered the medicine cat's den, but not before Creampelt did one of those look-to-Mintstreak's-eyes-then-the-ground looks. The pit in Mossfire's stomach grew slightly.

"Here." Leopardfire deposited a small pile of herbs on the ground. "Catmint for the sick and poppy seed and borage leaves for those too far gone."

Realization hit Mossfire hard. This was the time that there were almost no herbs around the lake and almost every cat was sick. Creampelt's brother Bramblefang had died in this epidemic. Judging from the lightness in Creampelt's eyes, Mossfire guessed that it hadn't happened yet.

Brackenfoot, the RiverClan medicine cat nodded his thanks. Slowly, talking as they went, Leopardfire and Brackenfoot wandered off to check on the RiverClan patients, which seemed to be at least half of the Clan. Creampelt stayed standing at her spot by the entrance, as if unsure of what to do with herself.

Just then, Mintstreak walked through the reeds. "Well, I guess Brackenfoot doesn't need my help."

Creampelt looked up in surprise. "Oh! Um, I guess not. He and Leopardfire are just checking on the patients."

"Ah..." The two cats lapsed into silence, and Mossfire endured a few more glance-at-Mintstreak-then-to-the-ground gazes until, surprisingly, Creampelt broke the silence.

"Mintstreak," she took a deep breath before continuing. "I need to ask you something."

Mossfire looked to Mintstreak, seeing that a certain fire had taken over his face. "Yes?"

"I think you know what I'm going to ask." Looking to Creampelt, Mossfire shocked herself by _not_ being surprised that her mother had the same fire on her face.

"_STOP_!" Mossfire yelled. She rested her head against the ground. "Leafpool, Squirrelflight, please." She rose her head from the ground as the past stopped and watched as Leafpool and Squirrelflight materialized before her. That look from before, the one where they'd seen something horrible and felt sympathy for it was there again. Mossfire shook with horror. They were sympathizing for her.

"Now do you understand?" Squirrelflight asked gently.

Mossfire choked out, "Yes." _Yes, I understand it all. My lack of a father in my life, my mother's fierce protectiveness, Creampelt's weird aversion to RiverClan at Gatherings...it all makes sense now. _"It all makes sense..."

Leafpool walked forward as the scene in Brackenfoot's den disappeared. They were by the brook, on the edge of the cliff again. "Mossfire..."Leafpool whispered, a pain in her eyes that Mossfire was sure was reflected in her own. "I know this is hard, and I know it's a lot to take in."

Squirrelflight stepped up next to her sister. "But this isn't goodbye. We will see you again."

"Stay strong Mossfire." Leafpool whispered.

* * *

**Guess what? My computer's working again! Yay! Unfortunately, that still means super-slow updates...oh well, this chapter was a lot longer than I thought it'd be...and I guess that'll have to make up for it. Anyways, yes. Her father is Mintstreak. Who didn't see her being half-Clan coming? **In the Prologue/Allegiaces list, it says his name is Mintclaw. Disregard that, it's Mintstreak.****

**Also, I have a question...there are two endings for this story that I'm thinking of...both are depressing and angsty(that's kinda what this story's about), but they're different. Further along, I'll give you the choices, and let you choose...or maybe I'll write both. We'll see. Hopefully, the ending's not for a while.**

**Hey, is anybody wondering what's up with Oneclaw? I am!  
Well, actually I'm not. 'Cause I know exactly why he did it. Mhm. So there. But don't worry, you will eventually to!**

** Oh, and I know that updates are super-slow, but this next wait might(hopefully) be shorter since I've already started it...fingers crossed!**


	6. Chapter 4 Part 2

Forbidden Love

"Stay strong Mossfire." Leafpool whispered.

Mossfire sat up, breathing heavily, the StarClan warrior's voice echoing in her ears. She was in ThunderClan, in her own den, next to Speckledwing. No, wait, Speckledwing wasn't there. Right, she has the dawn patrol. Mossfire remembered.

As Mossfire's breathing returned to normal, she heard a cat stirring on the other side of the den. Looking over, she saw that it was her mother. Mossfire's chest panged with the remembrance of what she had learned in her sleep. When Mossfire had been younger, she had always thought not having a father felt like she was missing something, like she had no tail to balance herself. Now, with the knowledge of her heritage, she felt like she had a tail as big as a badger's and that someone was stabbing her chest with a thorn.

Her throat burning, Mossfire ran out of the warriors' den. She went to the thorn barrier, planning an escape as she went, only to be stopped by Thistlefur, who was on watch.

"Mossfire, my watch is done soon. I need to talk to you." Mossfire looked nervously into Thistlefur's eyes, which were still full of fury from yesterday.

"Thistlefur..." Mossfire began hesitantly, "I don't need this right now. I need some time alone."

Just then, Redflame walked up. "Hey Thistlefur, Mossfire. I'm here to take watch."

Thistlefur nodded his thanks and began to walk into the forest. After a few steps, he turned back. "Mossfire," he said tersely, "Let's go."

Thinking of a way to stall, Mossfire called back, "Um, I just wanted to ask Redflame a question."

Thistlefur's eyes flashed dangerously. "I'll be waiting then." Mossfire sighed quietly as he disappeared in the undergrowth. Turning back, she realized that Redflame was looking at her expectantly.

_Mousebrain, now she's waiting for your question!_ Mossfire spurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Redflame, what were your parents like?" Being a senior warrior, Redflame's mother and father had joined StarClan awhile ago, long before Mossfire'd been born.

Redflame looked a little surprised, but she answered. "Well, my mother was Dovesong, and my father was Toadstep. They both loved me and Nightclaw very much, although I didn't know Toadstep for very long. He was killed by a fox when I was still a kit. I still remember him, though, and I'm thankful for that." Redflame's eyes softened the more she talked, going back in time to when she was young. Mossfire swallowed hard; Redflame had had a father that she could miss, a mother she could love...Mossfire just had two cats that had broken the warrior's code. The thorn in Mossfire's chest dug deeper inside of her, poking at her heart. She gasped, causing Redflame to jerk out of her reverie.

"I'm sorry, "Mossfire panted, "I've got to go. Thistlefur's probably waiting." Mossfire ran off to the forest trying to think through the pain of her realization. Thistlefur went that way...I'll go this way then. Running, running. Always running.

Eventually, Mossfire came to her senses and realized where she was – the abandoned Twoleg nest. Stories from Molefur floated by her on the wind, a time when the Clan had no catmint and an outbreak of greencough almost wiped out ThunderClan. Mossfire shivered as the wind blew past her, remembering the similar outbreak of sickness that killed Creampelt's brother.

Thinking of her mother brought back the memory of why she'd run away from Redflame and Thistlefur. Her own kits...they deserved so much better.

Is that all they'll have? A tom that doesn't want them, and a she-cat that broke the warrior's code in a way she promised she wouldn't?They're worth so much more than that.

* * *

"Mossfire? Are you alright? Can you hear me?" A voice floated towards Mossfire, cutting open the blackness.

Mossfire blinked open her eyes, slowed by disuse. After a few seconds, she took in the cats around her. "Leopardfire? What am I doing in your den?" Along with the medicine cat, her mother and sister were there. Mossfire noted with interest that Thistlefur had seemed to refuse to be here, for whatever reason everyone else was.

"Well, Mossfire, I found you collapsed outside the Twoleg nest when I went to collect herbs at sunhigh. Do you remember going out there?"

Mossfire nodded. "Yes, I was out...hunting, and stopped to rest there. I guess I was just tired."

"Alright." Leopardfire walked a little ways away, gesturing for Mossfire's kin to do so as well. "She's not doing well." Leopardfire whispered. Mossfire snorted at her attempt to be quiet. "I'm not sure what happened, but she's actually quite sick. No, no!" she exclaimed at Creampelt and Speckledwing's faces, "She'll be fine, she'll get better. I just want to keep her here for a couple of days, get her lots of rest, make sure everything's fine and that she gets better without overexerting herself."

Mossfire flinched at the words. It sounded so obvious to her that the medicine cat was talking about her condition. She was going to have kits, couldn't they see that? Maybe they did see that. Maybe Thistlefur had told.

"Oh no." Mossfire whispered to herself. She waited as patiently as she could as her mother and sister said their goodbyes and left. As soon as she couldn't hear their footsteps, she blurted out, "Leopardfire, do they know?"

Leopardfire turned from the pile of leaves she was sorting through. Hesitance flashed through her eyes. "No," she said slowly. Mossfire sighed in relief before she continued. "They don't at the moment. But, Mossfire, any day now..."Then the medicine cat looked at the ground. "Mossfire, Thistlefur told me something."

Mossfire could scarcely breathe. He had told. But only Leopardfire? Noise roared in Mossfire's ears and she could hardly hear what Leopardfire was saying. "He said that the kits weren't Harvestnose's, but he wouldn't tell me who's...they're..." she directed her gaze back to Mossfire. "They're not...not Thistlefur's, are they?"

Mossfire barely took in what she said. "Th...Thistlefur's? Why would they – Leopardfire, that's just – how, why would you...I..."

Leopardfire sighed, relief filling her eyes. "Oh, okay. I was just wondering. May I ask, who the father really is?"

Mossfire whipped her gaze to the ground, too embarrassed to look at the medicine cat. "Um...well..."

"It's alright." Leopardfire was looking at her, understanding filling her gaze. "You're just like you're mother – looks and personality. It's fine. I don't need to know."

Mossfire was surprised for the rest of the day that Leopardfire couldn't see the guilt floating out of herself in waves.

* * *

**Okay, I am _so_ stupid. I posted Ch. 4, then wrote this bit forever ago...and it's kind of necessary for the story. And, since it's so short. I couldn't post it as Chapter Five...oh well. This works. Anyways, what do you think? Dovesong and Toadstep had two daughters, and one's now the deputy! If you're interested, neither of them had kits (I made small Clans, and everyone's 'parent' space is filled already). Anyways, you'll find out more in the next chapter, and, even though I've already past my usually word count (3,000) I'm not _close_ to being done...all I can say is...It'll be good, trust me!  
And, sorry if it takes a while...  
And, tell me what you think!  
...okay, also, 'Night Whispers' is coming out on the 23rd! Excited squeal, anybody? I read somewhere that parts of it are going to be from Flametail's POV. LOL, that gives me tinglies inside. c: I'm so excited!**

**Anyways, so, yeah! Chapter Five (hopefully) coming soon! And when it does, get ready for the read of your life! Lets see if I can beat "Night Whispers'! Pfft, who am I kidding, I just hope that people will actually bother to read this once i update it...probably not, they'll be too busy reading 'Night Whispers'...oh well. XD**


	7. Chapter 5

Forbidden Love

After that first day, Mossfire shut down in a way. _Withdrawal. _Most of the time, she had four cats on her mind: her mother, her ex-mate, or her 'guardians' - the two legendary daughters of Firestar.

For the next few days, Mossfire didn't take in much; she was so absorbed with her thoughts. She knew that Leopardfire had told Rushstar (but no one else) that she was having kits, wasn't feeling well and was going to keep her off duties for a while. She knew that Thistlefur hadn't told anyone about..._him_...yet, and that Speckledwing kept on asking him what was wrong. She was worried sick over Mossfire. Mossfire wished she could tell her to stop worrying, that she'd be okay, but she didn't want to lie to her sister. She couldn't find the will to tell her. She couldn't find the will to do much. _Withdrawal._

The only thing that really kept her from shutting down totally was the things Leopardfire told her. She knew that the kits were developing well, and there was probably three or four. She told her that Mossfire was getting the right nutrients to support them. She also reminded her that she was always going to be there to help her. Leopardfire didn't realize it, but her words ran much deeper for Mossfire. She needed the assurance that someone would be there, never betraying her, a constant support.

Mossfire knew she couldn't trust Leopardfire, not completely, but she confided in her as much as she could. She told her that she didn't want to see Creampelt, although she didn't explain why. Leopardfire must have passed on the message, because her mother stopped coming to try and visit. Funnily enough, as soon as Leopardfire told that, her mother totally dropped from her thoughts. Out of sight, out of mind. Now she just wish she could do that with Oneclaw.

* * *

That night, she found her dreams placed by the brook on the top of the cliff once again. Squirrelflight and Leafpool were about three tail-lengths away, and didn't seem to notice the living cat in their spirit world. They were having a hushed conversation.

"Leafpool, we can't do this. You know how Firestar is. He'll be so furious!" Squirrelflight hissed.

Leafpool murmured back, "But Squirrelflight, she needs this. She needs this to continue on with her life, to understand completely. She's not alone." Mossfire swallowed. They were talking about her.

Head hanging, Squirrelflight replied, "I know. She does. Alright, we'll do it for a little longer." She took a deep breathe, looked up, and saw Mossfire. "Oh! Mossfire, you're here. Um, for how long?"

Mossfire scrambled. "Jus-just got here." Leafpool gave Mossfire a knowing look, but said nothing.

Instead, she walked over to Mossfire and licked her ear. "You're doing well, Mossfire. Just have faith. All will be well."

Squirrelflight came over as well. "Are you ready?" Mossfire nodded.

"These cats aren't alive anymore, but we feel that you should know their story. Before we go however, you should know something."

"And you should probably sit down." Squirrelflight only looked like she was half-joking.

Mossfire blinked, then got settled in the slightly wet grass.

The StarClan sisters sat down next to Mossfire as Squirrelflight began the story. "Once, before me and my sister were born, our parents, Firestar and Sandstorm went on a journey. This may be a little hard to take. They went to restore the fifth Clan."

Mossfire stared. "Sorry, did you just say _fifth_Clan? There are only four Clans, unless you count StarClan."

"No, Mossfire." Leafpool interrupted gently. "Long before the Clans moved to the lake, there was a fifth Clan, SkyClan. Unfortunately, Twolegs started to build dens in their territory, and when SkyClan asked the other Clans for help, they were driven out by them. When Firestar was sent by StarClan to restore this fifth Clan, they met a cat there. Skywatcher." Leafpool nodded to Squirrelflight for her to carry on.

"One night, Firestar and Skywatcher were talking, when Skywatcher told him a prophecy: _There will be three, kin of your kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws. _Much later, Firestar thought that the three cats had come, although he still wasn't sure of the prophecy's meaning."

Mossfire's eyes widened. "He thought it was Hollyleaf, Lionblaze and Jayfeather, because he thought they were your kits. But they weren't actually yours. But then it didn't matter anyways, because they were your kits." She turned her head to Leafpool, who nodded, amusement on her face. "But...Hollyleaf died...what did the prophecy mean?"

"Well," Squirrelflight continued. "When they were apprentices, Leafpool's kits discovered that they all seemed to have certain abilities. Lionblaze was an amazing fighter, Jayfeather could walk in dreams, and Hollyleaf...she...well."

Leafpool talked for her sister. "It turned out that Hollyleaf wasn't the third cat in the prophecy."

"Then...who was?" Mossfire asked, confused.

"At around the same time Hollyleaf died, Firestar's kin's daughter had two kits." Leafpool explained.

Squirrelflight finished. "Dovesong and Ivyheart."

"One of them was the third!" Mossfire gasped.

Leafpool nodded. "Yes, Dovesong. She was able to stretch her senses much further than any other cat."

Mossfire looked at the grass between her paws, thinking heavily. "So...why are you telling me all this?"

Squirrelflight waited until Mossfire's gaze turned to her. "Dovesong fell in love with a ShadowClan cat."

A tiny shiver ran through Mossfire's body. Leafpool softly said, "Mossfire...are you ready?"

"Yes." Mossfire breathed. And the world disappeared.

* * *

Mossfire blinked open her eyes to find herself at the edge of ThunderClan and ShadowClan's territory. She was standing on the rocks by the stream, and like before, Leafpool and Squirrelflight weren't visible, although Mossfire could feel their presence.

_These stones are hot._Mossfire thought as she hopped from foot to foot. Looking to her left, she did a double-take. _The lake...it's more like a puddle. And it's brown. It doesn't look drinkable at all._Mossfire gasped. This was during the drought. Molefur had told her stories of this. The lake had been slowly disappearing, so a group of cats, two from every Clan, went out to find out what was wrong. That had been the part that fascinated Mossfire. All four Clans working together.

Hearing something behind her, Mossfire turned and gasped again. Three cats from each Clan were standing on the rocks near her.

The oldest cat from ThunderClan, a dark brown tabby tom, stepped forward. "You know what you have to do," _Brambleclaw,_echoed Leafpool's voice. Squirrelflight's former mate.

"Find out what's blocking the stream, and get rid of it." A younger golden tabby tom from ThunderClan replied, tail flicking behind him. _Lionblaze._

"Really?" a dark grey tabby tom from RiverClan asked worriedly. "I thought we were just supposed to find out what the problem is, and then come back to report." _Rippletail._

The oldest ShadowClan cat, a dark ginger she-cat growled, "What's the matter? Is RiverClan too scared to take on a challenge?" _Russetfur._

"Of course not!" snapped the eldest RiverClan warrior, a gray she-cat. "But the safety of our Clanmates matters to us, even if it's not important to you." _Mistystar, although she's Mistyfoot in this time._

Russetfur snarled back, "It's for the sake or our Clanmates that these cats are going."

Mossfire's eyes widened with each word. From Molefur's story, it sounded like the Clan's had actually worked _together_. At the moment, they looked close to killing each other. Just then, a gray she-cat from Wind-Clan stepped forward. "That's enough. We're working together now. The patrol must do whatever they can without risking their lives." _Ashfoot, _resounded Squirrelflight's voice.

One of the ShadowClan warriors, a dark brown tom, sighed. _Toadfoot._Brambleclaw heard and edgily meowed, "You made the Great Journey, Toadfoot. You should remember how the four Clans worked together to help one another. It doesn't mean you won't come back to your own separate territories."

Toadfoot scuffled his paws and mumbled, "I was only a kit then, I don't remember much."

Brambleclaw gave him a dry look. "Try." Turning to the other cats, Brambleclaw went on. "Keep to the stream so that you can find your way back easily. Don't get distracted; don't let foxes or kittypets chase you off course-"

"As if!" Toadfoot snorted. Mossfire flicked her ears. _What an attitude, _she thought to herself, surprised to hear Squirrelflight and Leafpool's meows of amusement in the back of her mind.

Brambleclaw glared at Toadfoot before going on. "Take time to rest and eat when you can. If you find the blockage, you won't be able to do anything if you're exhausted when you get there."

A small gray she-cat standing next to Lionblaze started to twitch. Squirrelflight's voice came through to the front of her mind. _Dovesong, or at the moment, Dovepaw._

Leafpool added, _Lionblaze was her mentor._

Speaking of which, the tom leaned down and hissed, "Have you got ants in your pelt?"

"Sorry," Dovepaw whispered back.

Just then, Brambleclaw, Mistyfoot, Ashfoot, and Russetfur stepped back as the remaining cats stood before them.

Ashfoot looked at them solemnly. "May StarClan light your path and bring you all home safe."

Time paused, and Squirrelflight and Leafpool appeared before her. "So, you know who Lionblaze and Dovesong are." Squirrelflight pointed with her tail.

Leafpool then used her tail to point at the ShadowClan cats. "That's Toadfoot, as you know. And the other is Tigerheart, kin of Brambleclaw, as you might have noticed."

Then Squirrelflight pointed to the RiverClan cats. "Rippletail and Petalfur."

"And Whitetail and Sedgewhisker." Leafpool pointed at the WindClan cats.

"Can you remember all those?" Squirrelflight asked.

Mossfire nodded after a pause. "I'm pretty sure, yes."

"Good. Now, we're not going to show you their whole journey, but we'll show you parts of it." Squirrelflight instructed.

"They may not seem very important or noteworthy, but we feel that you should see them."Leafpool finished. The two she-cats slowly disappeared as the scene changed.

Now the journeying cats were running through the Twoleg greenleafplace, Mossfire running alongside them. They all had fear-scent on them, and were running away from some Twolegs. Lionblaze was in front of Dovepaw and Tigerheart. Dovepaw crashed into a pile of Twoleg stuff, which fell on top of her. Lionblaze ran back, and called, "Help her!" to Tigerheart. Together, the two toms managed to move enough of the stuff out of the way until Dovepaw could drag herself out, gasping for air. All of a sudden, something landed in the bushes near them, sending them off running again. Eventually, they found the other cats and stopped in some ferns to wait for the Twolegs to leave. Struggling to catch up, Mossfire bounded over to hear Tigerheart talking excitedly.

"...those dumb Twolegs. They were terrified! Who cares if we meet them again?" Turning to Dovepaw, he said excitedly, "Don't worry, I'll protect you." Then he was off again, oblivious to the look on Dovepaw's face.

Her eyes were wide, her mouth unconsciously open. Mossfire could feel a bubble of laughter building up in her chest. "I can protect myself!" she burst out.

Sedgewhisker spoke up suddenly. "We can all look after ourselves. After all, that's why we were chosen, right? Because our Clans thought we had the best chance of solving the problem with the stream?"

"That's true." Lionblaze agreed.

Petalfur lifted her head, shaking, but with a brave look in her eyes. "I think we should go on. I've watched my Clanmates starving around me, and I can't do that anymore! Thinking of that gives me courage." Mossfire blinked. For such a skinny and weak-looking cat, she was certainly strong in her own way.

Whitetail murmured, "Well said, Petalfur."

"Then we keep going." Lionblaze said quickly, looking to Toadfoot, as if challenging him to disagree. He continued, "And since we're in ThunderClan territory now, _I'll_ take the lead."

The scene changed once again, but now it was in more of a picture form, like a strange, detached dream. She heard Leafpool's voice in her head. _Night is short, and you need your rest. We'll show you parts of their journey in a quicker form, chronologically. _

First, she saw Dovepaw, Lionblaze, Toadfoot, and Tigerheart each helping Whitetail, Sedgewhisker, Petalfur, and Rippletail up into trees. As soon as they were up, dogs came thundering past across the ground. _Dovepaw used her powers here to warn them before they came. She doesn't know it, but she save a life that day. _

Then, she could see Lionblaze listening as Dovepaw talked. It was dark, and the rest of the patrol's cats were sleeping, apart from Petalfur, sitting on guard outside.

Noise slowing came to Mossfire's ears, like something floating up from the bottom of the lake. Dovepaw was whispering fervently, "...brown animals are dragging the trees to the stream and setting them in place, lodged tightly together like a wall." Taking a breath, Dovepaw continued. "Oh! I can sense the water! It's trapped behind the trees...what are those creatures?"

She looked to her mentor, eyes full of fear that grew slightly when she saw Lionblaze's look of alarm. He quickly composed his features, determined to stay strong for his apprentice. "How many of them are there?" he asked.

"I'm not sure..." Dovepaw trailed off, trying to concentrate her senses again. "Fewer than our patrol, I think."

Lionblaze touched his tail tip to Dovepaw's shoulder. "It'll be okay." He meowed softly.

The world fuzzed a little, and Mossfire knew that time was skipping ahead, although apparently not very far. Lionblaze was the guard cat now, and it was close to dawn, but Mossfire could tell from the look on Dovepaw's face (and the way she kept twitching and fidgeting) that she hadn't slept a wink. Dovepaw rolled over once again, and accidently kicked Tigerheart in the back, which woke him up.

He sat up, shaking dead leaves off his pelt. "Great StarClan! Dovepaw, you're wrigglier than a pile of worms!" He exclaimed.

Dovepaw gave him a sidelong glance and muttered a 'sorry'.

Tigerheart tilted his head, then pushed his nose into her fur to show he hadn't meant any offence. Then, without a word, he squeezed out of the cleft. Mossfire's head followed the handsome tom as he did, her thoughts racing. Squirrelflight and Leafpool hadn't actually said that their love started on this trip, but maybe...no. Mossfire shook her head. She was being crazy.

Once again, the scene changed, and Mossfire knew that it was later that day. The chosen cats were journeying in the streambed, and Mossfire was walking alongside Dovepaw, who was lost in her thoughts. Mossfire could practically see the mice running around inside her head. All of a sudden, Tigerheart ran up to walk beside her, making Dovepaw practically jump out of her pelt.

"Isn't this cool?" He meowed excitedly. "We're going to find these animals, and then – _pow!_Give us back our water! They won't refuse. If they do – well..." He crouched down, then sprang into the air, swiping his forepaws in a strong clawing move. Mossfire tilted her head, and mewed, amused by his antics. Whenever he was around Dovepaw, this sharpness seemed to be brought out of him, a strange energy that added to his overall lively take on life.

Dovepaw seemed to be just the opposite at the moment. As Sedgewhisker came up to join them, Mossfire saw Dovepaw stifle a sigh.

"Boasting – just like ShadowClan! Watch this." Sedgewhisker meowed, slightly smug. The three young cats (four, counting Mossfire) stopped their progression. Sedgewhisker faced her companions, then launched herself in the air with a terrifying shriek, twisting as she leaped and landing just behind Tigerheart.

He turned and exclaimed, "Ha – missed!"

Sedgewhisker's eyes narrowed as she retorted, "I wasn't trying to grab you. You'd know if I was."

Tigerheart's tail flicked behind him. "Oh, would I? Try it, then, and see!" Without warning, Tigerheart threw himself at Sedgewhisker, and the two scuffled, narrowly missing Dovepaw, then Petalfur on the opposite side of the streambed as they rolled repeatedly.

Mossfire watched them with interest and humour. _I was like that with my littermates, before..._Mossfire shook her thoughts away, then looked to Dovepaw. At the beginning of the young warriors' play-fight, she had leaped onto the bank to avoid getting squashed, just as Petalfur had. Now she was walking forwards, stubbornly _not _looking at the two cats.

Lionblaze stepped forward angrily, stopping the fight. The two younger cats stood up, Sedgewhisker moving her leg awkwardly as she did so. After reprimanding them, and giving Sedgewhisker a worried look, he turned his gaze to Tigerheart, no emotion on his face.

Time froze, and Leafpool and Squirrelflight appeared. Leafpool, giving Lionblaze's unmoving body a long look, then turned to Mossfire and mewed. "You must be wondering what he's thinking." Mossfire nodded.

Squirrelflight settled herself down in the dusty streambed. "There's a part of this story that we haven't told you."

Leafpool sat next to her sister, then gestured Mossfire to do the same. Once they were all settled, Squirrelflight said slowly, "You see...there was a reason for the prophecy. Some cats live their lives on earth in horrible ways, and when their time is over, they don't go to StarClan. Frankly, they don't deserve it. And nobody wants them there anyways."

Mossfire's eyes widened. What kind of cats were these? As if reading her thoughts, Leafpool meowed, "They're murderers, Mossfire. Horrible cats, with no faith, no respect, and scheming minds. Hope that you'll never meet one, with all your heart."

Squirrelflight nodded. "She's right. I hope you never meet one. Unfortunately, we have. These cats, when they die, are sent to the Dark Forest, a place of outcast, misery, and despair. These cats banded together, and vowed to take over the Clans. At their head was Tigerstar, the dark ThunderClan warrior that became ShadowClan's leader. He was more set on taking down Firestar than anything else."  
Leafpool rested the tip of her tail on her sister's shoulder. "Slow down, it's a lot to take in." Turning her gaze on Mossfire, she continued. "Now, you're probably wondering how all these _dead_ cats were going to take over the forest."

Mossfire nodded slowly, relieved that she didn't have to ask. "Well," Leafpool said, "They did something similar to what Squirrelflight and I are doing. Communicating and teaching through dreams."

Mossfire blinked. They had gotten this idea of educating her from a bunch of _crazy psycho-cats that didn't even deserve StarClan! _She wasn't sure how sane these two sisters were. Maybe they were going a little crazy from all the time in the stars...

Squirrelflight was purring uncontrollably, probably from the look on Mossfire's face. "Don't worry Mossfire, their lessons were just a little bit different from ours. We're not murderers. They trained cats how to fight, but not with normal moves – with ways of efficiently disposing of the opponent – in other words, killing them."

_Well, it makes sense. They _are_ murderers, so of course they'd teach _how_ to murder._Then, it hit Mossfire. "What Clan cat would be crazy enough to be deluded into fighting for these cats?" she asked incredulously.

Leafpool dropped her gaze, sadness and humour in her eyes. "I was wondering when you'd ask. Tigerstar and Hawkfrost, his son, were very cunning. They targeted those with weaknesses – pride, mostly. Anger, spite. And, they tricked cats into thinking it was their destiny." She looked up, straight into Mossfire's eyes. The cream-pelt struggled not to gasp out loud.

"Wh-what cat would think killing others was their destiny?" Mossfire struggled for breath.

"They said that it was their destiny...because they were kin." Squirrelflight meowed, slightly uncomfortable.

"What? And these cats listened to them?" Mossfire exclaimed.

"Yes." Leafpool said determinedly.

Mossfire swallowed, then asked the question they'd been waiting for. "Wh..." She tried again. Why was it so hard to choke out one tiny word? "Who?"

Squirrelflight's eyes were on the ground. "Brambleclaw, at first. He broke free when he killed his half-brother. Everyone thought Tigerstar's evil would harm the Clans no more..." Mossfire saw Squirrelflight's eyes shut tightly.

Leafpool continued for her sister. "Then, of course, everybody thought Brambleclaw had had kits. It was Lionblaze next."

Mossfire's breath shook. She knew these cats, through stories and those who knew them, and Leafpool and Squirrelflight. She could believe it. One of the Three had been allying himself with the Dark Forest...

"Of course, Lionblaze stopped once he knew more about his kin." Mossfire got the double meaning. He didn't want to listen to Tigerstar if he'd lied about his parents. Who knew what other lies he had told?

Squirrelflight then looked up, her gaze steady and devoid of any pain or sadness. "Around the time of the journey, Lionblaze and Jayfeather started to suspect that Tigerstar and Hawkfrost were trying harder. Their half-brother, Breezepelt, was filled with so much fury over his father's other kits, that Tigerstar convinced him to help destroy ThunderClan." Now it was Leafpool looking at the ground. Once again, the words were unspoken. Breezepelt hated his father, his half-siblings, and Leafpool for what they had done to him. Completely irrational, but considering that he was with the Dark Forest, there couldn't have been much rationality in that tom's head.

"And now, in this time you're walking with Dovepaw, Lionblaze is beginning to suspect Tigerheart. He saw him use one of Tigerstar's moves that he taught to Lionblaze himself."

Squirrelflight's voice was bitter. "Who better to carry out his plan than his namesake?"

Leafpool gently shushed her, then turned her calming gaze on Mossfire. "There were others, many others, but only one more that you need to know of now. Hawkfrost was assigned to visit a ThunderClan apprentice in dreams, to slowly draw her closer to the darkness."

"Who was it?" Mossfire whispered.

"Ivyheart."

* * *

**Dun dun dun dun! Surprise Mossfire! **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't really do these, because they're really not needed as this is FANfiction, but I thought I should put it in for this one as I included some parts from 'The Fourth Apprentice' Warning, there will be more of this type of stuff in future chapters.**

**Well, I'm sorry I've taken so long with this, as always. But, how was it? I'm thinking a lot of this isn't necessarily necessary, but oh well. I wrote it a while ago. And, I got Night Whispers over Christmas break, and I read it, and I was SO frustrated with it! Everything with Tigerheart and Dovepaw, and Ivypaw, and Flametail...gosh. But I won't say more than that, as I don't want to spoil it. But, if any of you have read it, let me tell you, my Dovepaw and Tigerheart story is going to be slightly different...**


	8. Chapter 6

Forbidden Love

_Ivyheart._

Dovesong, one of the Three cats, destined to save the Clans around the lake. And her sister was trained to destroy her and the Clans she would protect.

Mossfire's eyes widened. "How...how did they convince Ivyheart to do that?"

"She was growing jealous of her sister, dangerously jealous. It started with this journey, with Dovepaw being chosen and Ivypaw being left at home." Squirrelflight meowed.

Leafpool stood, shaking her head. "You need to keep going. The night is short, and we aren't done yet."

The two she-cats disappeared, and Mossfire stood up, alone once again. She found herself on top of the bank now, and the journeying cats were looking ahead, as if stunned by something. Turning, Mossfire gasped. It was insane. The beavers had created a huge blockage filling up the whole stream, effectively blocking all the water from flowing through, and in turn, to the lake.

All of a sudden, Mossfire heard a quivery intake of breath. Looking to her left, Mossfire wasn't surprised to see Dovepaw. She was crouched against the ground, her eyes squeezed shut. Mossfire could tell what she was thinking. How could these animals do this? Was it even possible? And, thinking about it, Dovepaw could probably hear exactly what the large, brown animals were doing.

"So that's what's blocking the stream," Mossfire turned to see the rest of the patrol staring in shock. Rippletail had been the one to break the silence.

His Clanmate was the next to speak. "We'll have to push the logs away."

"No, better drag them out of the stream," Toadfoot contradicted, unsurprisingly. "Otherwise who knows where they'll end up?" Well, he did have a point.

Whitetail then meowed, "And we'll need to keep well back when the logs give way."

"Wait," Dovepaw whispered next to her. Only Mossfire heard, so she cleared her throat and tried again. "Wait. The brown animals are still here. They _built _that barrier deliberately to trap the water."

Mossfire stared at Dovepaw, her thoughts swirling. This cat, she was so small. She'd only been an apprentice for a moon, and even then, she'd been loaded on with all these responsibilities. _She must feel like all the Clans rest on her shoulders. _Mossfire thought.

Tigerheart came out of no where and brushed his pelt against Dovepaw's. "Don't be scared. I'll look after you."

Dovepaw gave no reply.

Mossfire blinked, and Squirrelflight and Leafpool appeared. Squirrelflight didn't look _happy_ exactly, but almost excited, in a way.

"Is it another time skip?" Mossfire asked, Squirrelflight's energy spreading.

"Yes!" blurted out Squirrelflight.

Leafpool let her tail tip rest lightly on Squirrelflight's back. "Calm, Squirrelflight. Yes, it is. They are still at the beaver dam, which is what the wooden thing is called. The Clan cats enlisted the help of a loner and some kittypets, and devised a plan to take apart the dam."

"It worked, but..." all of a sudden, a wave of water overtook the two sisters, and Mossfire found herself rushing through the stream on a piece of thick bark. Mossfire choked, barely clinging on to the branch. She felt as if the world was flooding, coming to an end. She could hear the faint yowls of cats in the distance. Constant rushes of water crashed over her.

Clinging tightly to her branch, she gasped as she realized that she saw both Tigerheart and Dovepaw under the water, seemingly sinking slowly towards the stream's bottom.

But – no – Dovepaw was _swimming_. She was reaching for Tigerheart, trying to save his life! Mossfire could barely stand to watch, but she knew that she couldn't just get swept away from them by her branch. She unhooked her claws, dropping into the fast-moving stream, and began struggling towards the pair of cats below her. It looked as if Tigerheart was dead. Mossfire's heart gave an uncomfortable _thump._

_I can't believe how much I feel like I know these cats, when really, they were much before my time. _Hovering, floating beside Dovepaw, Mossfire reached out her forepaws, desperately wanting to help lift Tigerheart through the heavy water, but they went right through him. She wasn't really here. This wasn't her world; she didn't belong here.

She didn't belong anywhere. Why did she deserve life? With every sentence, Mossfire felt like her very soul was _sinking_. But then she realized – she w_as _actually sinking. With every comment – why should _she _get to live? – she sank further and further away from Dovepaw and Tigerheart. Her lungs began to tingle.

_Why should she be able to have kits? What did she do to deserve that, especially when it was done against the code? _

Mossfire turned up her head and yowled, unable to hold in her breath anymore, and watched as Dovepaw broke the surface of the water.

_What did she do to deserve living a privileged life in the Clans?_

Panic bubbled up in Mossfire's chest. Was she going to die here? Before she'd had her kits, still stuck in the past, in a memory?

_Why should she have a mother, littermates, Clanm_ - _LEAVE. _Mossfire's chest panged. It was as if there were cats inside her, battling over something.

But they weren't inside of her. They were right in front of her. A gray she-cat, a dark brown tom, their light eyes sparking at each other. An intense battle of inner strength, of the mind, rather than one of claw and tooth?

With a shock, Mossfire realized that the she-cat was Dovepaw – or rather, Dovesong. She didn't look like a newly made apprentice right now. She looked like a strong warrior, definitely a cat from a prophecy.

_Leave now, Hawkfrost. You will not harm this cat. Leave now before I attack you._ Mossfire's eyes widened. This was Hawkfrost, the cat that was assigned to draw Ivyheart in to the Dark Forest.

_Oh, well, I wouldn't want that, now would I? But a pretty little cat like you, attacking me? _Hawkfrost narrowed his blue ice eyes, a sort of twisted humour in them.

Mossfire shuddered at the slippery voice of Hawkfrost. She couldn't see how that voice could be pleasing or persuasive, but maybe it was just because she had knowledge. Knowledge of the truth.

_You're wrong, Hawkfrost. _Dovesong's eyes flashed dangerously, and Mossfire sensed that there was more going on then she knew about. Suddenly, Hawkfrost dissappeared and Dovesong turned to Mossfire, who was still floating at the bottom of a stream, holding in her breath. Her lungs about to burst at any second, Mossfire felt an urge to explain her self to this cat.

_Don't talk, Mossfire. Just rest. You need it, much more than you know._

* * *

Mossfire gasped, sitting up as she did so. It was dark, and she was safe in her nest in Leopardfire's den.

What had just happened? Her guardian sisters had been showing her a memory, and then...it had been interrupted. By Hawkfrost and Dovesong. What did that mean? Was there still a struggle between the Dark Forest and StarClan? Were the three still using their powers to help the Clans, even though they didn't live by the lake anymore? Mossfire would've wanted a break, if she were them.

Mossfire spent practically the whole day stewing over her dreams. She wondered what Hawkfrost had been trying to do to her, and where he and Dovesong had even come from – and where Squirrelflight and Leafpool had gone.

She was so absorbed with her thoughts that she didn't even notice the stares and whispers she got when she went out of the den to get her own food at sunhigh, Leopardfire having gone out looking for herbs.

She'd barely taken the first bite of the quail that she'd chosen when one of Lightfoot and Featherstorm's kits came trotting in. He was definitely the most curious of the five kits, and the most bold.

Mossfire pulled out of her thoughts as well as she could to greet the kit. "And how are you today Owlkit?"

The dark grey kit flopped onto the ground beside her. "I'm okay. Me and Eaglekit were wondering why you're belly's so big. Are you sneaking prey during the night? 'Cause if so, me and Eaglekit want some too! Featherstorm says that all five of us are only allowed to have one mouse a day, and that's not fair!"

Mossfire mused over the thought of Owlkit. _I wonder if my kits will be half as adventurous as he is. If they are, I'm going to be one tired queen!_ Slowly, Owlkit's words sunk in, and Mossfire froze. _No! If the kits have noticed, then everyone must have! Thistlefur will tell, everyone will know, Leopardfire won't be on my side anymore, I...I won't have anyone. What if they make me leave the Clan?_

"Um, no, Owlkit, I haven't been sneaking prey off the fresh-kill pile. I've just been, uhh..." Mossfire didn't know what to say. Owlkit stared up at her, his wide amber eyes unblinking.

Just then Leopardfire walked in. "Why, hello Owlkit. Do you have a stomach ache?"

Owlkit turned to the medicine cat, immediately forgetting Mossfire. "No, I'm just asking Mossfire about getting extra prey to eat. She's getting fat, you know." Mossfire winced as Leopardfire's eyes widened. "Do you know if she's been sneaking prey? She says she hasn't, but I don't know if I believe her."

Leopardfire shot Mossfire a glance, asking her a silent question. Reluctantly, Mossfire nodded. _Everyone else knows, and it matters more about the father rather than the kits. _Mossfire thought sadly.

The medicine cat turned back the Owlkit. "Well, actually, she's going to have kits! You're very observant Owlkit. I'm sure you'll make a great hunter when you're older."

The kit brightened up at the compliment. "Thank you! I'm going to go tell Eaglekit about Mossfire. Maybe if we can't sneak off prey, we can just catch our own! Since I'm going to be a great hunter, I can help Eaglekit!" He then ran out of the den before either of the she-cats could say a word.

Mossfire closed her eyes, feeling Leopardfire's gaze on her pelt. All of a sudden, she felt a tongue lick her shoulder. "I'm sorry Mossfire." Leopardfire murmured. Mossfire kept her eyes closed till she heard Leopardfire go into her den, the silence wrapping around Mossfire like a warm breeze.

* * *

It wasn't until sundown when the first cat came in. Mossfire was in her nest, head on her forepaws, and waiting for the inevitable to happen. For the whole clan to start coming in, mewing their congratulations and asking who the lucky father was. Mossfire wasn't ready for it. She wasn't sure she'd ever be ready.

"Mossfire...why didn't you tell me?" Creampelt's voice rang across the stone walls of the den.

Mossfire stiffened, keeping her gaze on the pool of water in the den. She couldn't do this. Anyone but Creampelt, she could have handled. But not her mother.

Refusing to look at the she-cat standing by her nest she said tersely, "Because I don't want to be like you, and yet, no matter how hard I try, I am." She almost heard Creampelt's shock, it was so strong.

Just as she began to scent her mother's sadness, she snapped out, "I'm tired. Please excuse me." She put her head down on her paws, and that was that.

* * *

That night, Mossfire didn't sleep for a long time. Once she was sure that Leopardfire was asleep, she climbed out of her nest to stand by the edge of the medicine cat's den. Staring up at the almost-full moon, she felt like crying. She felt like attacking Onewhisker, Creampelt, Thistleclaw, even Leopardfire. And she didn't even know why.

So when she first felt her kits paddle their paws against her stomach, her mind was thrown into chaos. And for the first time in her life, she saw a cat's tear.

* * *

**There's no need to tell me how much I failed with this chapter. I already know. For one thing, it's SO late! I mean, I don't update for months, and then all I come up with is this measly little thing! It's only, like, half of my normal length!**

**AND I'M UPDATING DURING EXAMS! What's wrong with my brain?**

**Anyhow, since you've waited so patiently, not-so-patiently, or totally abandoned this story (in which case, you won't be reading this), I would now like to give you a sort of "I'm Sorry" cross "Thank You" gift: the alternate ending to this chapter! TA-DA!...yeah, not as epic as I thought it would be. Well, anyways, what happened was that this story somehow got onto two files and I wrote two endings without even knowing. XD So, here it goes:**

* * *

Mossfire gasped, sitting up as she did so. It was dark, and she was safe in her nest in Leopardfire's den.

What had just happened? Her sister guardians had been showing her a memory, and then...it had been interrupted. By Hawkfrost and Dovesong. What did that mean? Was there still a struggle between the Dark Forest and StarClan? Were the three still using their powers to help the Clans, even though they didn't live by the lake anymore? Mossfire would've wanted a break, if she were them.

Mossfire spent practically the whole day stewing over her dreams. She wondered what Hawkfrost had been trying to do to her, and where he and Dovesong had even come from – and where Squirrelflight and Leafpool had gone.

She was so absorbed with her thoughts that she didn't even notice the stares and whispers she got when she went out of the den to get her own food at sunhigh, Leopardfire out looking for herbs.

As she settled down to eat the slightly squashed squirrel she'd picked, a tiny grey kit tumbled into the den, tripping over a small stone as he walked in. A small _oof!_ was heard as the little tom landed on the den floor.

"Are you alright, Owlkit?" Mossfire began to rise from her nest, then stopped as the kit stood up, shook himself off and ran over to her.

"I'm fine!" Owlkit announced. "I just came in because me and Ravenkit were wondering if you've been stealing prey from the fresh-kill pile at night. If you are, me and Ravenkit want some too! Featherstorm only gives us a mouse and a half to split between the five of us, and Thrushkit eats so much, we barely get a mouthful!"

The kit rambled on, his apparent question forgotten. Mossfire froze. _Sneaking extra prey...?_ Mossfire glanced quickly down at her stomach, then back at the kit. If he'd noticed something, then her Clanmates were bound to have noticed too. Now what?

After the kit left, with assurances, that no, Mossfire was not stealing prey, as that was a very bad thing to do, Mossfire tried to sit still while she waited for Leopardfire to return.

And that was when she felt it. Her kits.

Mossfire's heart had almost stopped beating in a panic till she'd realized what the feeling in her stomach was. Tiny paws, pushing against her. Mossfire's entire body filled up with so much joy that she could barely keep herself from purring.

The need to purr slowly died away as she remembered her kits true heritage. Part ThunderClan, part ShadowClan, and, in a way, part RiverClan too. These unborn cats, filled with so much potential had so much history behind them that they'd probably drown in it all before they even became apprentices.

The tiny paws kept it up till Leopardfire came back, just as the sun was beginning to set. Mossfire had been sitting stiffly in her nest, her tail wrapped neatly around her front paws.

As soon as the medicine cat walked in, Mossfire relaxed her tense stance, beginning to talk as soon as Leopardfire came back from putting the herbs away.

"Leopardfire, I felt them! My kits! Is that a good or a bad thing?" Leopardfire's eyes widened in shock and went over to Mossfire.

After telling the soon-to-be to lay on her side, the medicine cat worked in silence, gently prodding her belly. Finally, the agonizing wait was over. Leopardfire leaned back from Mossfire's stomach slowly, her face calm. "You're perfectly healthy, Mossfire."

Mossfire's tail twitched. "And the kits?"

"Kits?" An increduolous voice asked. The two she-cats heads turned to the entrance of the den.

"Speckledwing," Mossfire breathed. Before she could continue, her sister interrupted.

"I mean, I guessed, but your actually having kits? And you...you didn't tell me?" Speckledwing's meow squeaked at the end.

Mossfire felt a pang in her chest. Out of her family, - well, ThunderClan family - she was closest with Speckledwing.

How could such an innocent, good feeling cause so much guilt and pain?

* * *

**Wow...where did _that_ come from? Honestly, I wrote that just now, and I had no clue where I was going with it. I mean, I knew where it had to go, and I knew where it wanted to go, so...I compromised. :D I like it. What do you think?**


End file.
